Why does Tennessee still pay a marine contractor to push a barge across the Tennessee River in the middle of a state highway? Because State Route 147 was never given a bridge here, and for people whose home is on one bank and whose job is on the other, a crossing of about seven minutes is the direct way over.
The Benton–Houston Ferry is where State Route 147 runs out of pavement on one bank and starts again on the other. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is responsible for it, the State of Tennessee owns the equipment, and a Clarksville company, River Marine Service, Inc., supplies the crew. TDOT has just one other ferry, at Cumberland City on the Cumberland River in Stewart County, and runs both under the same fee table and the same year-round hours.
The numbers are modest. TDOT counted roughly 14,500 vehicles in 2023, about forty a day, and still judged the crossing worth a new tug costing more than three million dollars in 2024.
Before dawn on weekdays, six on weekends, seven days a week
Hours published by TDOT and read on October 1, 2026 (page last revised March 20, 2026). TDOT gives them as the standing year-round pattern, with no seasonal change and no end date. TDOT — Ferry Services · 2026-10-01
Fifty cents on foot, seventy-five for locals from four counties
The toll is set under Tennessee Code Annotated 54-13-317, which ties the rate to the size and type of vehicle. Two figures have stayed steady across every TDOT publication we checked, and those are the ones printed here: fifty cents for anyone crossing on foot, and seventy-five cents for residents of Houston, Benton, Stewart and Henry Counties. The 2007 launch notice describes that local rate as a daily charge.
State and other official government vehicles cross without paying anything.
| Person on foot | $ 0.50 |
| Resident of Houston, Benton, Stewart or Henry County | $ 0.75 |
| Official government vehicle | Free |
Fares confirmed by two TDOT publications as of October 1, 2026; vehicle rates left out (see note) TDOT — Ferry Services: Crossing Fees · 2026-10-01
A causeway on the Benton side, a short lane down on the Houston side
Neither landing has an address or a ticket office. Both are just the point where the state road runs out of land.
Benton County landing, end of the SR 147 causeway
From Big Sandy, SR 147 heads northeast through the hollows and then keeps going onto a long, narrow causeway that ends at the waterline. The ramp at its tip is the west-bank landing. There is no terminal building and no street number — the road itself is the queue.
The federal ferry database pins the Benton County terminal near Sandys Camp Road, over a mile from where the boat loads. Our map follows the state route and the USGS topographic map, which both put the landing at the end of the causeway.
Houston County landing, foot of Ferry Road
On the east bank the highway runs along the shore, and the final short stretch to the ramp is listed in Census road files as Ferry Road. TDOT places the crossing a little over two miles west of McKinnon, the useful landmark on this side.
The 2019 federal ferry inventory records parking at both landings, which matters mainly to anyone walking or cycling on.
Three-quarters of a mile across Kentucky Lake
Measured landing to landing the crossing is about 0.8 mile, and the boat has to cut across the Tennessee River's commercial channel on the way, which the USGS map marks down the middle of the lake. At the 2007 launch TDOT put the trip at about seven minutes.
The water here is the Tennessee River impounded as Kentucky Lake, broad and open, and on the Benton side the highway reaches it along a long, narrow causeway. Seen on a map, the two halves of SR 147 simply point at each other across the lake.
What catches drivers out at the Kentucky Lake crossing
- Signal is patchy near the water
Text or call 931-249-0831 before you leave home, not from the ramp. If it will not connect, TDOT points you to the Cumberland City Ferry number, 931-827-2322.
- Last crossing is around six
Service ends at 6 p.m. Central time every day. SR 147 has no bridge at this point, so a late arrival means finding another way across the lake.
- Local rate for four counties
Residents of Houston, Benton, Stewart and Henry Counties pay $0.75. TDOT does not say what proof it expects, so ask the crew the first time.
- Room for trucks, within limits
At launch TDOT said the barge could take eight mid-size cars, or six full-size pickups plus two compacts, or one empty tractor-trailer. Loaded semis were not on that list.
- Bring small bills
TDOT publishes no payment methods, and the confirmed fares run to quarters, so carry small bills and change.
From a 2007 ribbon-cutting to a tug named for a basketball coach
The service is younger than it looks. It opened on November 15, 2007, when TDOT's chief engineer Paul Degges, state senator Roy Herron, representatives Butch Borchert and John Tidwell and officials from both counties broke bottles of sparkling cider over the vessel at 9:30 in the morning. The pitch that day was plain: commuters would save time and money, and visitors would have an easier way to reach this corner of West and Middle Tennessee.
By 2024 the towboat on the crossing was 67 years old, TDOT said, against a usual working life of 30. Its replacement, The Summitt, was built by McGinnis Inc. in South Point, Ohio, for $3,298,000 in federal and state money and christened on December 13, 2024. It is named for Pat Summitt, the Lady Vols basketball coach, and it pushes a barge called The Volunteer. Below Kentucky Dam this water ends up in the Ohio, which far upstream is crossed by the Augusta Ferry between Kentucky and Ohio; for another crossing that is formally part of a state highway, see Washington's Keller Ferry.
The Summitt and The Volunteer
Questions people ask before driving down SR 147
Is the Benton–Houston Ferry running today, and how can I check?
Call or text TDOT's status number, 931-249-0831. Reception near the lake is unreliable, so do it before you set out; if you cannot get through, TDOT says to try the Cumberland City Ferry number, 931-827-2322.
How early does the crew start on a Sunday?
The crew starts at 6 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and at 5:30 a.m. on weekdays. Service ends at 6 p.m. every day, Central time.
Why doesn't this page list the car fare?
Because TDOT's own publications disagree. Its December 2024 announcement said a dollar per car, while its online fee table now shows a higher figure. We only print a fare when two official sources match; the walk-on fare ($0.50) and the local rate ($0.75) do.
I live in Henry County. Do I get the local rate?
Yes. The $0.75 rate at this ferry applies to residents of Houston, Benton, Stewart and Henry Counties. When the service opened, TDOT described that charge as a daily fee.
Does the Kentucky Lake crossing close on Christmas Day?
TDOT says the contractor operates the ferries 365 days a year, and it publishes no holiday exceptions. Weather is another matter, which is what the status line is for.
Can a tractor-trailer use the ferry?
At the 2007 launch TDOT said the barge could carry one empty tractor-trailer, or up to eight mid-size cars. The fee table also has classes for trucks over one ton and for truck trailers.